Being part of a care home team can be a tricky and challenging task. There are a lot of very important things to think about while working with residents, but there are three key areas in which they must excel for the care home to run smoothly and in a safe way.
These three areas can be difficult to maintain unless care home managers have competent staff and highly dedicated employees who are passionate about their jobs. These three main parts are:
#1 Catering
Both staff and residents need to be fed on a healthy, well-balanced diet. However, this can be challenging, as many of the residents will be of advanced years and will have developed their own dietary preferences. Others will have food allergies as well.
Some care homes outsource their catering and have pre-prepared meals brought in for them. Whereas others will employ a cook or chef to use the on-site kitchen to prepare meals. The choice will be dependant on the facilities available and the rest home’s budget.
Daily variations to the menu are also an advantage so that residents are not eating the same meals every day. The level of quality and choice of the meals residents eat can heavily influence their morale in an environment where they otherwise have very little control.
#2 Hygiene
Hygiene is an incredibly important factor in any care home. If a carer is ill with a cold and not showing symptoms, this might get passed onto a resident, and they might become seriously ill due to a weakened immune system because of their advanced years.
It is also vitally important that care homes are kept clean to stop stomach bugs and other nasty illnesses from spreading from resident to carer or from carer to resident.
Hygiene levels are maintained by carers wearing clean uniforms, aprons, gloves, and face masks, as well as by washing their hands regularly and keeping sides and utensils clean. These should then be washed down with approved cleaning agents and warm water.
#3 Supplies
Obtaining the correct standard and volume of supplies to use in the care home is also vitally important. It is particularly important that resources are sourced from a specialist supplier rather than a general retailer as they will typically have a much wider range and higher stock levels.
Care home equipment supplies that have to meet these exacting standards include beds, medicine, or moving and handling aids. Using the best equipment available will help improve the wellbeing and quality of life of the resident and make the job of the carers much easier.
Purchasing quality equipment is also a long-term investment for the rest home as the increased lifespan of the items will mean fewer repeat purchases and less strain on the home’s budget. In addition, top of the range, well looked after equipment will create a good impression for families of prospective residents who are visiting various care homes to find a suitable place for an elderly relative.